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Final word: Sofa away from Olympic gold

K
atie Taylor aside, Ireland’s chances of winning gold at the forthcoming Olympics seem slim enough. Nevertheless, when it comes to putting up our feet and parking ourselves on the sofa we are among the world’s leaders. According to research in Lancet, the medical journal, the Irish are the seventh worst of 36 nations when it comes to taking exercise. Some 48% of males fail to reach the recommended weekly exercise for adults of 150 minutes of moderate exercise. For women the figure is closer to 59%.

It should go without saying but raising an arm to point the remote control at the telly doesn’t count as exercise. Neither does stretching a hand over the side of the sofa to find the bottle opener. Walking from the living room to the kitchen to get a snack during ad breaks before rushing back just as the programme restarts is probably the most